The World As We Know It
by Godtrilla
Summary: The Flame King wants to harness his daughter's power for himself, and he's simply waiting for the moment to strike. His reckless actions create multiple other problems in the Land of Ooo. How will Finn handle them? Will he give in or fight until he can't anymore? (Finn x Flame Princess)
1. Even Heroes Need To Relax

**This story is completely AU from the current Adventure Time. Finn is 16, and it'll start from the episode "Burning Low" and continue on from there. ****_I hope you all enjoy the ride._**

* * *

All was well and calm in the Land of Ooo at this point in time. The weather was fair, and more importantly; the people were healthy and functioning.

At least that was how it appeared to Finn, The Human. A sixteen year old hero, currently taking a stroll in the Candy Kingdom. He had grown with time, standing at five foot five inches. His hair had grown as well, reaching his shoulders in length, however the most of covered by his trademark white hat with two ears sticking out at the top. The loose hair hung out the back of his hat.

The boy wore the same old baby blue "boy-style" T-Shirt, expect it now fit looser than usual. To cover the lower parts of his body he wore blue-jean shorts and black shoes with white rolled down socks. It fit him and his sometimes childish personality.

With him was his girlfriend of a two years, the Flame Princess. She had long orange-red hair and yellow-orange skin. If Finn could say so himself, she was beautiful in every aspect.

The girl clung to her boyfriend's arm as they walked through the Candy Kingdom. They were currently grocery shopping for a date they had planned. It was the first time she had seen Finn a while, for he was working for other kingdoms simply because of his love for adventure, and while he appeared to love her; he asked her to not accompany him during his string of journeys.

According to his best friend, they were going to be doing some, "man-stuff," and she obliged. Just when her curiosity was about to fully eat away at her, he returned home as lovable as ever. As mentioned before, he had grown while he was gone, so she now had to look up to her boyfriend when she spoke, "Where are we heading first, Finn?" The girl asked sweetly as she gently nudged his arm.

Due to her roots and element, being close with his loved one sometimes hurt, but he had been around her so much; he had grown used to it. There was a slight burning sensation, but it lasted for a short time. He acted as if it didn't affect him at all, so he could keep his girl happy. The boy cracked a smile, "I thought I told you Flame Princess, the bakery."

To further prove his point, Finn pointed down the cobblestone road toward a bakery. It was very small in size, but it made high quality pastries. "Jake ordered a cake for us," Finn told Flame Princess as he guided her into the shop, "He said it was a gift from him to us, I won't quote him exactly though." The boy laughed a bit remembering the original statement of, 'Tier 2, no time.'

"Oh, how sweet of him," Flame Princess said as she smiled back at Finn lovingly. She ended up staring at the boy for quite some time as he got their cake. Flame Princess was in a daze of sorts. It was a new kind of euphoria she had never experienced in her entire life. She hadn't even realized that he removed his arm from her grasp so he could hold the whole cake with both hands.

The girl heard unitelligeble mumbling from somewhere but ignored and continued to stare at Finn. A warm smile crossed her face, 'He's so cute. . ' The girl trailed off in thoughts about her boyfriend, until she was thumped on her nose.

Flame Princess regained her senses and realized that Finn was talking to her. "Huh?" The girl asked, "What- What is it?"

"I said what do you wanna eat, girl!?" Finn was a little irritated that she wasn't paying attention to him talk. It's like she wasn't even acknowledging him half the time, and zoning out. She didn't hear what he said and started to become forgetful.

"Oh, that spuh… stuff is pretty good," The girl tried to remember the name of the saucy delicacy she had partaken in when she and Finn first started dating. It had seemed like so long since she had last eaten it. "Spuh.. spuh.. spuhg…" The Flame Princess blushed a little bit having forgot the meal.

Finn laughed gently, "Spaghetti, sweety." The boy nudged her to begin moving with his foot and they exited the shop. "Um, we'll have to get to the general store then, and get the materials. I don't think we have any of the ingredients at your house or mine."

"Let's go then."

The couple started down the cobblestone once more and headed in the opposite direction. It's where the general store was, and a lot of other stores, if she wanted something else.

As they walked through the kingdom, Finn started noticing little things about Flame Princess. The biggest being how hard she was staring at him. It made him a bit uncomfortable, even when he looked away and walked in silence with their arms locked, he felt a burning sensation of her eyes examining his body.

The boy laughed eerily and scratched the back of his head.

"What's the matter, honey?" Flame Princess asked him because of his sudden outburst of laughter.

"I can literally feel you looking at me and it's weird, because you have a very hot stare."

"What do you mean?"

"You're made of fire, what else could I mean? You're literally burning a hole in my skin the way you're staring."

Flame Princess foolishly looked at his skin, seeing no hole. "What hole are you talking about?"

Finn laughed once more, "Figure of speech, Flame Princess."

"Oh. . ."

The couple fell silent after that, as they entered the general store. Finn, who still had the box in his hand with the cake in it, looked over at the carts. "Babe, could you get me a cart?"

"Of course," The girl removed her arm from Finn and went to grab a cart. She pushed over to him quickly, since she didn't want to melt the plastic covering the metal frame of it.

Finn stopped the fast moving cart with his foot and put the cake box in the cart so his arms would be free.

As Flame Princess returned to his side, he looked down on her, "You're not as talkative as usual, what's the matter?" He asked as he began pushing the cart throughout the store, to find the materials for spaghetti. "I thought we would be talking non-stop once I got back home from my adventures."

"I just . . . missed you so much, Finn, while you were gone." The girl looked toward the ground as she paced slowly behind the fast moving human boy, "Six whole months without you was something I've never dealt with before. I've never had any real emotional attachment to any other than you, so . . . "

"I get what you're saying. You're just happy to be with your favorite stroodle oodle noodle again, am I right?"

"You're more than right."

Finn threw the box of noodles into the cart and spun it around to dash out of the aisle childishly. Flame Princess ran behind seeing what he was doing.

The boy had gotten so hyperactive out of nowhere, rarely paying attention to the people while he was cutting corners searching for sauce. "PEW, PEW, PEW." Where the lasers were coming from, no one knew.

His girlfriend found it funny and that's all mattered to Finn, smiling as he heard her laughing in the background.

BAM.

Finn ended up crashing into something, rather someone. She sounded very irritated from the groaning noise she made as she struggled to get back up. The human helped the girl back up, and it was none other than Princess Bubblegum.

"Oh, hey PB!"

The pink haired princess gave Finn a blank stare as she picked up her items off of the ground, "Finn . . . what did I tell you about running in the grocery store?"

". . . It's stupid and I should stop."

"It's stupid and you should stop," The woman reiterated her point as she had finally gathered all of her belongings. She finally started to smile again, though, "I missed you though, Finn. You and Jake. I can see that the other princesses kept you very occupied for those six months."

"Yeah, made me into quite the man." Finn cracked a smile of his own as he grabbed the cart once more and pulled it closer to himself, "What're you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," The Bubblegum Princess had a raised brow.

Flame Princess had finally figured out which aisle he was in, getting sidetracked by something, but having finally caught up. She interrupted the conversation, "We're making food for our picnic date tomorrow, isn't that right, sweety?"

Finn nodded in agreement.

The Bubblegum Princess wasn't completely satisfied with her answer. It actually elicited a slight frown, "Oh, how wonderful." She said, but it almost sounded condescending. The woman decided to make her exit right there, "I'll catch you guys later." She walked off hurriedly.

"That was weird," Finn admitted as he grabbed the sauce off of the shelf and started moving once again. He stopped running, because it was stupid, and he could probably hurt someone doing it anyway.

"I wonder what her problem was . . . " Flame Princess thought out loud as she trailed behind Finn now as he grabbed random snacks and drinks. He probably needed to restock his treehouse since he was gone for so long. Any food he had was probably expired.

Their trip to the grocery store was coming to a close as they got to the cash register. Finn used the money he had garnered from his adventure by doing little jobs while voyaging.

Finally they would head home and spend some time together like Flame Princess had wanted.

Slowly, but surely they would get to the treehouse. On their way there, they talked about what did while they hadn't seen each other, how much they missed each other, and what they planned to do in the future. It was a calming experience for Flame Princess, finally getting Finn back, and getting to banter with him like they used to. For Finn, it was nice to simply relax. He wouldn't complain about adventure, but he definitely needed a break.

At least a few days off.

With his treehouse in sight, Finn started to look it up and down. "Wow, it's good to be home."

Both Flame Princess and Finn then rose their brow as they heard loud music coming from within. The front door was already partially opened, so Finn turned around and used his butt to open the door all the way.

Once inside, he heard singing from the stereo up-stairs, and his best friend; Jake the Doge.

"Na, na, na, na," Jake stretched his head down stairs, bobbing it with the rhythm of the rock. "Na, na, na, naaaaa! NOT IN THE BOOOOOOOOOINGLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOINS."

There was a sick guitar solo to follow as Jake's full body was finally downstairs. He thrusted his pelvis and imitated a guitar with his hands, "Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

Finn laughed and set the cake down to join in with his own imitation guitar. The boy was so caught up in the moment he hadn't realized the music stopped. He had his eyes closed and dropped down to his knees to emotionally play his guitar, all fueled by Flame Princess' laughter.

"It was a solo," Jake cut Finn's moment short, "Respect the tech."

The Human stopped, "Wha?"

"I thought it was cool, Finn," Flame Princess added in.

"I'm just cutting your porkchops, man," Jake said laughing.

"Oh, Jake!" Finn joined in on the laughing and got up off of his knees.

Flame Princess' smile had faded but slowly crept back as Finn and Jake interacted. It warmed her heart to have people she called family in a way. People she could trust and confide in.

She could only hope it lasted even if only for a while.

. . .

A woman with dark tinted glasses was leaning back in her chair. She ran a hand through her long orange hair and sighed. She possibly had the most boring job in her profession, but she couldn't complain.

She was monitoring heat signatures on a screen. Exciting, right?

If the fire elemental was able to produce it, there would sweat rolling down the side of her face. She was in the hottest place in all of Ooo: The Fire Kingdom. To make matters worse, the most oppressive force in the whole Land of Ooo was slowly making his way into her department. What he wanted was unknown, but she could only hope that it was a short meeting.

His malicious aura brought her down whenever they interacted. She wasn't exactly happy now, but dealing with him certainly wasn't going to brighten up her day.

Before the Flame King entered, one of his servants would come and survey the room. He left and told the King something.

The woman sighed and got up so she could bow toward the King upon his entrance.

His armor making sounds as he walked in signified his arrival. The armor itself was bronze in color. His head was a fireball with facial features. The man wore a light smirk when he entered, as he moved the woman out of the way and sat in her seat.

It was a swivel chair that he spun around in, "I need to get one of these," He wiggled his ass in the seat a few times to get a feel for it. Finally, tended to the task at hand, "So give me the rundown about the Flame Princess."

"Her little boyfriend has returned home, so naturally her flames are burning stronger," The woman would step up to the control board and minimize the window that showed the Kings daughter's signature, "Whenever they're alone, they're especially strong. She has the 'hots' for the boy, so to speak."

"I see, disgusting, but go on."

"The more emotionally attached she becomes, the more dangerous. As concluded a long time ago, her emotions are tied directly to her elemental matrix," The woman read from her well taken notes, having observed Flame Princess since she was a child. "Emotions like anger, jealousy, romance only augment her strength. When they reach a climax point, she can become extremely dangerous."

"How dangerous?"

"Enough to destroy the Earth," The woman replied calmly, "That's with an unstable matrix. If she were taught to control it, she could have power that surpassed even you-"

"Enough of this," The Flame King slammed his fist against the control board. The temperature of the room increasing significantly. Some of the command keys were broken upon impact.

He was mad.

The woman groaned, "I'm simply stating the facts, your majesty, it was projected that she became stronger than you in the long run," She rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses, "If you would let me finishing talking, and not cut off my sentences, you would have known sooner that you can still be the strongest in Ooo."

A curious brow was raised by the Flame King, "The Strongest you say?" He sounded more than intrigued. The King would do almost anything to increase his power.

"The absolute strongest," The woman informed him, "While your flame control is second to none, you can still improve upon it."

That warranted a frown from the man, "Improve what's already perfect?"

"Nothing or noone is perfect, Flame King," The scientist had no problem saying that with a small smile, "With time, meditation, and the necessary training; my staff could have your power at levels you couldn't have even imagined."

"I'll do it."

"What are your plans for Flame Princess?"

"We're going to return her to where she belongs and make use of her extraordinary power."

The woman was curious as to what he meant, but she wouldn't question him. Nothing good came from questioning the king.

. . .

"So, how does she pee?" Jake wore a puzzled expression as he and Finn stared at their bathroom, "Is it like a jet stream of fire? Does it always hurt for her to pee?"

"I don't know . . . " Finn scratched the back of his head, "Maybe it's like boiling hot wizz."

"I wonder if she sits or stands," Jake looked over at his brother, "Maybe it's like ash, seeing that she's always on fire. Smoke, maybe?- You're her boyfriend, you need to know the little things like this."

"Don't you think that's kind of weird?"

"Yeah, but, if you can't be weird with your girlfriend; maybe you should find a new one."

"Hm, never thought of it that way," Finn mumbled to himself, as they cut their conversation short when they heard the toilet flush. "Shhh."

"So how does the cake look, Finn, good?"

"I haven't even looked at it."

Flame Princess emerged from the bathroom with a smile on her face, "Let's wait until tomorrow and keep it a surprise, Finn, that'll be fun."

"Yeah, fun. Who doesn't like surprises?" Finn leaned back on the couch and smiled, "I know I love 'em."

"BMO loves surprises too," said the little video game. It came trotting in with a smile on it's pixelated face.

. . .

"Surprisssse, honey!" A voice called out to the woman.

Princess Bubblegum looked away from her screen only to see the Ice King floating through her window. He wore a creepy grin on his face, which promised no good. At least in her opinion.

She pushed herself away from the control board and swiveled in her chair, "What do you, Ice King?"

"Too see my sweet fine thang of candy, know what I'm sayin'?"

"No, I don't," The woman spat out and folded her arms. "Leave, now. I told you I didn't want you here, or in the candy kingdom. You're a nuisance."

The King's grin became creepier, "I'm your nuisance though, right, baby?" He floated toward her and held his arms out for a hug.

Princess Bubblegum stopped him from initiating any contact by pressing her foot against his chest, "Leave."

He smiled lightly and still tried to reach and hug his 'sweet fine thang,' but it was to no avail. Banana guards charged into the room and that made him float away from her, "Fine, I'll leave." The man flew out of the window and that ended Princess Bubblegum's problems for now.

"Make sure he leaves the Candy Kingdom, go follow him," The princess ordered and they dispersed from the room as instructed.

She sighed and turn back to her screen. The woman furrowed her brow as she saw two heat signatures snuggled up with each other on a couch. One was much higher than the other's. It was rising as well, which worried her, "They're moving along too fast," She sighed and got up from her control board. "I know where this is headed."

The Princess shut the window and left the room for good. A frown was plastered on her face. She wasn't happy with Finn and Flame Princesses' relationship.

The woman wasn't jealous, rather concerned with the fate of the world that they lived in. It had been destroyed once, and she'd hate to see it return to it's aforementioned state, so if she could do anything to prevent it; she would.

. . .


	2. Thieves Are Cold Hearted

The boy tried his hardest to hold onto the cliff. He had only one hand, while the other had been cut off in battle. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, for he knew what would happen if he were to let go. He still turned his head to look down into the dark abyss, gulping at the sight of it. The boy still had so much to fight for, so he couldn't give up so easily.

With a new found vigor, he began trying to pull himself up and over the cliff. However, someone stopped him by placing their foot on his only hand. Unfortunately for the boy, they were wearing boots.

He bit his lip so he wouldn't scream in pain, because that would show cowardice on his part. The boy was freaking hero, and he would act as such, so he tried to ignore the pain the best he could. It didn't help that whoever was standing on the cliff was pressing his foot down on the hand.

"Finn The Human," A deep voice bellowed out, "For all the trouble you have caused my kingdom; I should exterminate you right here-right now."

Finn laughed at the man, "Then why don't you!?"

"Because, I could never do that to my own son."

The human teenager nearly choked upon hearing the man say that, "No, you're not my father," He spat out quickly in response. Finn couldn't believe he had the audacity to say that, "My father was brave hero. He wouldn't even associate himself with evil like you do."

"There is no such thing as good or evil you fool," The man retorted, "Like you, I'm simply fighting for a cause that I feel is righteous. What may be good to you is evil to others and vice versa, so what makes my people and I so evil? You've killed countless beings while you bounced around Ooo pretending to be a hero. Have you ever looked at it from their perspective? Don't you think your actions are considered 'evil' to them?"

"Any monster I've killed has been to deliver the justice they deserve," Finn was highly offended, "Don't try to turn this around and direct it at me. You kill innocent people. There's a difference. Monsters like you need to be wiped off of the face of the Earth."

"Your child-like sense of justice is beyond entertaining," Finn's 'father' laughed for a couple of seconds upon hearing his 'son,' and shook his head. "You're still useful though, so I'll give you a couple of options."

Finn hung onto the cliff in silence.

"You can join us and retake the earth," The man told the boy hanging from the cliff, "Or you can spend the rest of your life in prison."

The human looked up for the first time since their conversation began. The boy stared into his opponents empty brown eyes, and then examined his features. He had a thick brown beard, and a clean bald head. The man wore a black windbreaker to protect his body from the harsh weather of the mountains and boots to match.

They locked eyes once again. The human teen got nothing from his blank expression. If he was truly his father, he didn't seem to show much concern for the boy's life.

Aside from that, he considered everything before he made a decision. The boy still wanted to adventure with his brother. He still wanted to experience the joy of having a girlfriend in Flame Princess. Finn wanted to do a lot with his life, and had barely accomplished his goals.

He still had much to live for.

The man removed his foot from Finn's hand and held out his own, "Come, my son."

The boy reached out, and just when the man came close to grabbing his hand; Finn retracted his only hand and fell into the abyss. As he fell, he mouthed the words, "I'd rather die," and fell into the darkness.

For the first time in a while, the man showed some sort of emotion, "FINN!" He screamed in pain. It was like he had been stabbed, falling to his knees, and crawling toward the edge of the cliff. "Finn!" The man screamed once again.

There was no response. He couldn't even make out the boy's figure anymore. Finn was truly gone.

He couldn't believe it.

Tears rolled down the man's face in sadness. He buried his face in his palms and continued crying his eyes out.

As the man cried, a golden owl landed on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at it, and when they locked eyes; he passed out.

. . .

Finn woke up breathing heavily, as well as sweating. He nearly jumped out of his sleeping bag, but it was still zipped up. "OH ZOOT, JAKE WAKE UP!"

The dog rolled over in his cabinet, "Five more minutes, mom."

The boy unzipped his sleeping bag and got out of it, also throwing his cover aside. He ran up to his window and looked outside. From the look of it, all was well in the grasslands. For some reason, he expected danger to be waiting outside of the tree fort. He shook his head and walked over to the ladder.

He still had Flame Princess residing with him for the night. Finn climbed down the ladder and stopped in the living room. He saw his lady sleeping on their couch, which was wrapped in multiple layers of tin-foil.

It quietly killed him that he couldn't snuggle with Flame Princess, but for right now; it was too dangerous. Watching her sleep did bring a warm smile to his face though.

Finn walked over to the couch and poked Flame Princess on the cheek, "Hey, sleepy head wake up. You fell asleep during the movie." When she opened her eyes, she saw Finn smiling over her, "Time to take on the day."

". . . Did Luke beat Darth Vader?" She asked as she outstretched her arms while yawning.

There was a moment silence between them for a moment. Finn scratched the back of his head and laughed eerily, "Yeah, he won. . . " The boy sighed, "I don't think Darth Vader was really his father."

"Yeah, me either." She smiled at Finn, "Luke was such a great guy compared to him," The girl got off of the couch and walked over to Finn. "He reminds me of you a bit. Very heroic."

"Yeah, very heroic," Finn laughed again, "Are you ready for our picnic?"

"Of course, Finn."

"Well, you go clean yourself up… however you do that," He raised a curious brow, "How do you wash up if you can't shower?"

Flame Princess laughed at her boyfriend's curiosity. She held up her index finger and a small fire ignited on the tip of it, "I'm made of fire, Finn. The reason people like you take hot showers is because heat kills a lot of forms of bacteria," FP let the flame on her finger-tip subside, "Fire people's average temperature is way higher than the average being, so we don't really need to clean ourselves."

"Makes sense," Finn nodded upon being enlightened. He would wait to pop the bathroom question, "Well, I'll get our basket ready, and we can leave soon."

A long yellow leg stretched down the stairs and stepped into the living room to join the two teenagers. It was none other than Jake the Dog, who wore a tired expression on his face, " . . . Morning, lovebirds." He let out a loud yawn and patted his mouth in response, "I need some coffee."

"I'll make you some, bud," Finn offered as he walked into the kitchen that was attached to the living room.

"No, no, I'll do it, Finn," He winked at his brother, "I'm sure you and your lady wanna get on out of here and start your day."

"Yeah, you're right," Finn smiled back at his brother and went to grab the basket from the cooler. He wrapped his arms around it and walked out of the kitchen. The boy reentered the main part of the living room with his smile still plastered on his face.

"Are you ready, Finn?" Flame Princess asked her boyfriend as she gestured toward the ladder that led to the weapon room, which was also a part of the entrance.

"Yeah, I'm ready if you are." The boy walked over to his dog and pushed the basket into his hands, "Stretch this down stairs," He said as he and Flame Princess made their way to the ladder.

The dog groaned heavily as he watched the young couple descend down the ladder, "Stretch this down stairs, he says," He rolled his eyes, "Eye'm gunna punch 'em right in his kisser if he doesn't say please."

The ears on Finn's hat were seen poking up from the ladder, "Please, buddy?" He raised his head up and smiled at his brother.

"Alright," The dog laughed and Finn began climbing down the ladder again. Jake followed suit and stretched his legs down and ended up getting to the base of the tree-house before Finn.

When Finn arrived at the entrance moments later, he held his arms out for the basket. His dog happily pushed it into his grasp forcefully, causing him to make a 'oof' sound, "What the junk, man?"

"Have fun, buddy," Jake stretched up the stairs before his human companion could retaliate.

Flame Princess opened the door, "After you, Finn." The boy walked out promptly after she opened it and she followed. He was going to be leading the way for this trip, since the spot they would picnic at was apparently meant to be secret. It added to the thrill of the surprise for her, so she would simply sit tight, and try not to complain if it took too long.

Knowing Finn, it was going to take long. He had a tendency to want to make things extravagant, and that sort of thing wasn't sitting around in the grasslands.

It'd be worth it, though, right?

The boy led her through the good, bad, and ugly parts of the grasslands. They were walking for what seemed to be hours. She didn't want to complain though. Flame Princess was sure that he had something special planned for them both, and good things came to those wait.

The couple was walking through a field surrounded by trees in the grasslands, which was about to lead them toward a body of water. It was pretty peaceful for the most part. There were birds chirping and other sorts of animals running around them as they traveled through the land.

Finn held his arm out in front of Flame Princess and set the basket down, "Something feels weird around here," The boy sniffed the air and looked around curiously.

There was ruffling in the trees, the couple turned and look at the suspect tree.

Flame Princess closed her eyes and sent out a heat wave to try and detect the people around her. She sensed one thing, and pointed her finger at it. The girl shot a small ball of fire at it, "Gotcha."

What fell from the tree wasn't what they were expecting. It was a small blue bird that seemed like it was crying once it got hit by fire.

Finn went over to cup his hands and pick up the little bird, "Aw, shucks, FP," He looked at the girl and frowned, "It's just a lil' baby birdy." The human felt a chill run down his spine as he held the wounded bird. It had a very low temperature, "I wonder where it came from."

Flame Princess felt the guilt creep inside her body for what she had done. Usually she wouldn't feel this way, but since she had been around Finn; her emotions had developed. She walked over to Finn and looked over his shoulder at the baby bird. She couldn't help but realize it's red eyes staring at her, "I think I upset it."

"Yeah, but don't worry lil' one," Finn said as his backpack dropped from his shoulders, and he set the bird down, "We'll have you flying in no time."

The boy pulled out a small bottle that held the giant's tears in it. He cracked it open and gestured the bird forth, "Come on buddy," Finn smiled at it, "I've got the juice right here."

The bird accepted Finn's smile as a way to say he wasn't dangerous, unlike his partner. It chirped happily as the liquid poured onto its wing began to heal it instantly. When it was healed, it flew up and perched itself on Finn's shoulder.

It sang a happy little bird tune.

"This is awes-" Finn fell to the ground instantly. He had been hit by a tranquilizer dart.

FP was about to be hit by the same one, except she sensed it. The girl incinerated it in an instant with a powerful blast of fire that stemmed from her hand.

She turned her body all the way around to see a blue teen humanoid figure perched on a tree branch not too far from where they stood. The princess furrowed her brow, "What do you want with us?"

"I only need the hero, you should stay out of thi-"

The boy flipped out of the tree with quickness as it began to violently burn. He landed perfectly on the ground next to the tree and groaned, "You're going to destroy everything around here with an attitude like that," The boy pointed his index finger at the single burning branch and shot it with a zap of his Ice magic, effectively making it freeze.

Due to the heat, it melted and turned into the water, but ultimately stopped the fire. He returned his attention to the Flame Princess, who he deemed to be highly dangerous.

His blue eyes locked with her amber orbs for a moment. The boy could tell she was examining him, trying to determine his roots. He had dark blue hair that reached his neck in length, tied into a small ponytail. He wore a blue parka with white fur, dark blue pants, and boots.

The boy stood all the way up and started walking toward her and Finn, "Like I said, I just need the hero," He looked her up and down, "I'd rather not fight one of you people."

"You must know that it'd result in your downfall," Flame Princess said cockily as she got into a fighting stance. She would protect her boyfriend at all costs. Considering his element, she thought it would be an easy process to finish him off.

"No, I just wouldn't want to see someone with so much potential die here." He cracked his knuckles, "But if you're asking for it, I'm sure the Fire Kingdom can produce something as powerful in the near future."

As he prepared to dash in their direction, four walls of fire materialized around him. He backed away from the one he almost ran into. "She did that pretty fast," The boy groaned as he saw that walls were beginning to close in on him. He held his arm out in front of himself and it began to cover in ice.

The ice formed into a shield. For now he would dash through the wall of fire as the rest of his Ice armor materialized. It covered his whole body, but was slowly melting since he had just sprinted through fire. The boy let out a sigh of relief.

All of his armor melted and made a puddle around his feet. The shield of it started to regenerate on his forearm like before, and in his other hand; a sword was being constructed. He was talented with his element, and he planned to utilize his talents to the fullest in his fight against the Flame Kingdom's finest.

Flame Princess took it as an opening to try and strike him while he generated his weapons. She shot forth with a burst of speed and extended her flaming fist forward. Her opponent was quick to defend, by holding his shield in front of him, causing her to recoil in pain as her fist smashed into the surprisingly sturdy shield.

He created separation between the two by waving his shield and thrusting his now complete blade at Flame Princesses' forehead. She moved out of the way quickly, as expected, and fell for his feint. The teen smashed his ice shield into her body and sent her flying to a tree, causing it to be knocked over.

Due to her flaming body, the tree was set ablaze. She was slow to get up, but she did eventually. The girl looked over at Finn's still unconscious body and decided to raise a wall of flames in front of him, which protected her as well.

She let loose a deep breath after raising the wall. The princess tried to lower her temperature the best she could, so when she went to pick up her boyfriend, he wouldn't be burnt. The bird he had save decided to stick with him, since it had dug its talons into his hat.

The princess dragged him behind a tree to protect him from the fight, since the boy she was fighting burst through the flames with ease, and came looking for her.

FP flew into the air, using her fire to propel her and held her hands above her head. The girl was creating a large ball of fire that she was sure would wipe the warrior off of the face of the earth. The more she fought, the more she got back to her destructive ways, and she realized that. She had to make sure she didn't damage the land Finn seemed to love so much.

Instead throwing her 'bomb' at the ground and incinerating anything and everything it hit, she started flying downward with great speed and attempted to smash it into her enemy. She smashed it into him, forming a crater in the area she smashed it against.

Once the fire had subsided, there wasn't a body laying in the crater like she thought there would be. It was just charred dirt and what once were flowers. She turned around to see a semi-damaged boy holding onto his arm. It appeared to be burnt badly, "How in the world did you survive that?" The princess screamed, "I hit you from point-blank range with one of my strongest attacks."

"Don't ask. . ." The boy lowered his head and groaned. "I'll have to come back and visit another time." Before Flame Princess could interject; he disintegrated right before her eyes.

The princess disregarded the situation, as well as her minor injuries so she could go check on Finn. When she got behind the tree, he was still there like she had hoped. The girl sat down next to him, pressing her hot finger against his neck for a moment to see if he still had a pulse. She quickly retracted it so she wouldn't burn him.

The girl pulled the dart out of his neck and burned it. She leaned against the base of the tree and decided she would simply wait for him to regain his consciousness.

The orange haired princess needed some time to rest herself, since she had been walking all day, and had to fight one of the stronger opponents she's had to face in Ooo.


	3. The Sun

The boy held onto his head as he slowly started to regain consciousness. The sounds of nature filled his ears, and his eyes were set upon a sleeping girl in the grass, "What . . . happened?" He thought aloud, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

A small blue bird was perched on his shoulder now, chirping happily in his ear. He patted it on the head and smiled, "Nice to know you stuck with me, bud," The human thanked it and pushed himself off of the ground. His picnic basket was still intact, so he picked it up as well. He still intended on making the most out of his situation.

Finn walked over to the sleeping princess and kneeled over, "Hey, FP," He called out, making her wake up almost instantly. The human flashed a smile to his girlfriend and waved with his freehand. "Are you alright, you've got a couple of scars n' stuff on your face."

"Yeah," The girl said as she too pushed herself off of the ground and stood. Her eyes examined Finn's figure, specifically his neck. It was beginning to heal at it's natural pace, but she couldn't help but be concerned. "We were attacked. He hit you with a tranquilizer bullet and you've been out since," She looked at the bird still attached to Finn, "I think he came from the Ice Kingdom, as well as that little friend of yours. I say you ditch it, before it gets you into trouble."

Finn waved her warning off quickly, "Nah, this guy's staying with me. I think he can be pretty useful in the future." He managed to get it to fly into his open palm, "It's a supernatural little thing. I think its made out of ice, like how you're made out of fire. Isn't that right, lil' guy?" The teen smiled at his new companion and it chirped back in response.

"Ok, Finn, but you best keep your guard up, so something like this doesn't happen again," The Princess gave her boyfriend a stern look. "I'd hate to lose you to whatever is trying to get you."

"No worries, FP," Finn smiled, "I'm on my guard one hundo percent now." He flexed his free arm, causing his bird to fly and perch onto his shoulder. "Oh yeah, we should probably name this lil' guy."

"How do you know it's a boy?"

"I don't, but . . . we'll just give a unisex name," Finn tapped his chin, "How about Art, which is short for like, arctic, or arteries. If we find out it's a girl, we'll call her Artie."

"That's pretty, Finn," The princess laughed, "We should get going."

The boy set the picnic basket down, and took off his backpack. He opened the backpack to get something out, which was a checker patterned picnic blanket. He waved it in the air so it could fall onto the ground, "Instead of doing some more walking; we should just stay right here. I'm sure your exhausted from all that walking and fighting, and fighting and walking. You've done enough for the day."

"No, I'm alr—"

"Don't argue with me, FP, you're going to sit here and enjoy this picnic," Finn said while laughing. The boy reached into his backpack and got out a candle.

The sun was beginning to set in the grasslands, a testament to how long they had been away from home. Finn was sure Jake would begin to worry if he didn't arrive home soon. He wouldn't rush their romantic little date, but at the same time; he would make sure he didn't take too long. They would make the best out of their situation.

The boy walked over to Flame Princess, holding the wick-end of the candle out toward her. "If you would please light this, m'lady," He courtesied playfully, and once she lit it; he put it in the middle of their picnic blanket. Finn went over to the basket it and brought it to their blanket.

He sat down on the blanket, patting the open space, and signaled his lady to come sit with him. She did so, and he proceeded to break out the food from his well arranged picnic basket. There were all sorts of delicacies that the two enjoyed. He had spicy food of all degrees for his princess, a specially made sandwich from Jake for himself, and for their new company; breadcrumbs that sat at the bottom of the basket.

The boy decided to scrape them all into a napkin and set them next to himself, so his new pet could enjoy their picnic as much as they did. The bird flew from his shoulder and onto the napkin, pecking at the food like he had expected.

Finn let out a sigh of relief, "It feels so good to relax."

"It's definitely nice having you back with me, Finn," The princess placed her hand over his. She had lowered her temperature so he wouldn't quickly retract his hand like usual. It was something she picked up while he had been away, "All of that adventuring, and 'man stuff' you partook in is probably starting to catch up with you." The girl furrowed her brow ever so slightly, "What exactly did you do while you were away?"

Finn couldn't help but notice the comfortable warmth that Flame Princess gave off now, instead of the violent flames that would burn him instantly. It was akin through running your finger through a match fire. She was hot, but not exactly dangerous. The boy smiled at his girlfriend, "The usual, saving princesses, and doing manual labor. That was the 'man stuff' Jake talked about," Finn remembered it all like it was yesterday. "I fought a lot of demons, like _a lot, _of demons. I collected enough demon blood to make my blade stronger."

"So, it's like, what do you now; except more intense?"

"Yeah, exactly; you hit right on the nail." He nodded along with her description, "I definitely grew from the experience; mentally and obviously physically."

Flame Princess took note of his words. He said he had grown mentally, which would imply he wasn't the same little boy he had left as. While it was only six months, a lot could happen in the span of time. "So you're not the nervous little boy you used to be?"

"I was never nervous; I was always a brave kid!" Finn almost took offense to her statement.

She smirked, having gotten a rise out of her lover, "Well, aside from me burning you all the time; you used to shy away from real contact with me. You even shied away when you were wrapped up in tin-foil."

Finn raised his brow, "What?" He made a confused face, "I always hugged you."

"Hugging, but you never kissed me," The princess seemed to be saddened by that. "We've never really had a chance to connect like a real couple. I know nature has kept us apart, but knowing what I know now; we can make this work."

Finn smirked at the princess. He raised a brow, "Well?" He started moving his face closer to hers and closed his eyes. She mimicked his behavior, and Finn took the initiative to plant his lips against hers.

. . .

( Back The Tree Fort )

"I'm just here to collect taxes," The princess smiled at her dog friend and continued putting treasure into her bag.

"Oh, whatevs," Jake said as he closed the door behind him. "Make sure you don't take any of those movies, though; Finn would go ba-nay-nays. Him and Flame Princess love watching those every now and then."

"Where are those two anyway?"

"On a picnic date or something," He raised a curious brow. "Didn't he tell you that already?"

". . . A lot has happened since then. I spend a lot of time in the lab, so I can't really remember every little squibble squabble," PB told Jake

as she threw the sack over her shoulder. "Honestly, Jake, I don't think those two should be together."

"Why? Are you jealous?" Jake quickly spat out in response, "Because Finn is finally happy again. All he could talk about for those six months is his little princess waiting back home for him. I finally got his mind off of you! Do you know much he's cried over you!?"

"This isn't about some petty little love triangle, Jake!" The Princess pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, "I've done my own research about Finn's little lover, Flame Princess. She's dangerous not only to Finn, but the Earth. Should they kiss, her unstable matrix could lead to her burning to the core of the earth due to how high her temperatures are. She'll be thrown back and forth by gravity and burn the earth from the inside out."

The dog's tongue slivered back into mouth, effectively being shut up by the Princesses' revelation. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "That's something you should explain before hand."

"I had to be sur-" A loud alarm went off on Princess Bubblegum's waist, and a bright red light flashed on and off. "Ok, this is bad. This is bad."

"Wha-" Another occurrence interrupted them. It was a very loud explosion that came from outside that seemed to rock the whole Land of Ooo. The dog stretched one of his hands to grab onto something, and used his other to keep the princess from falling to the ground. Once the mini-earthquake ended, both of them rushed outside of the tree fort.

From far out in the grasslands, a large pillar of flames stood tall. The temperature in the Land of Ooo had risen drastically. It made the two beings sweat. If they were out there for a long time, they'd be soaking.

"Speak of the devil," PB said as she patted Jake on the head. "We've got to get over there quickly. I'm pretty sure I can stop it."

The dog took notice and increased his size nearly ten times and extended his hand down to let the princess stand. His large legs began stretching as well so they could reach their destination quicker.

. . .

( Ice Kingdom )

The boy held onto his arm, as he trekked through the snow with a frown on his face. The low temperatures of the Ice Kingdom seemed to irritate his brand new third degree burn. It was like nature was trying to heal it on its own. As he got deeper, temperatures got lower, so it only made it worse. He cringed his face in pain, as he started walking slower, so he could sit down in the snow, and treat his wound.

He had ignored it for long enough. The boy pulled out his first-aid kit and started to work on his injury. The teenager thought he could make it home and get professional medical attention, but his stubbornness proved him to be wrong.

For now he would rub the burn with ointment and wrap it in gauze, so he could at least make it home without experiencing irritating pain. Once he finished, he got up and put the equipment back in the pouch on his waist.

He resumed walking toward the kingdom he called home. As he walked, he saw someone rushing in his direction. The boy raised a brow, "What?"

A fast running wolf came to a skid, throwing snow into the traveling warriors face.

The boy wiped it out of his face with a scowl on his face, "What the hell is your problem?"

Sitting upon the giant wolf was a girl with long navy blue hair. She had blue eyes, as well as light blue skin. She got off of the wolf and smiled at the boy, "Nice to see you made it back, Silas," The girl walked up to him and scanned his figure. She placed a hand on his wounded arm, "I can see the human gave you a fight." She laughed afterward.

Silas removed his arm from her grasp forcefully, "It wasn't the human. It was his girlfriend, the fire elemental," He nearly growled as he remembered her, "The Flame King's daughter, unfortunately. She's no slouch, and lives up to her heritage as destructive force."

"I probably should of went instead," She patted her friend on the head, "I told you, you weren't ready. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, since you ending up fighting a noble, but nonetheless you need some more experience before you can run with the big dogs."

"Well, Zoe, how else will I gain experience if I don't get out in the field and work?"

"I know what you mean," The girl, dubbed as Zoe agreed, "Which is why you'll be coming with me to the Water Kingdom. It's a grade a mission from the King himself."

Silas was skeptical of the girl, "To do what?"

"It's a diplomatic kind of thing," She reached for a sword that was attached to her belt loop on her pants. Zoe withdrew it from its sheath and showed it off to her friend, "We're delivering this as a peace offering, so we can get on good terms once again."

It wasn't an average blade. It resembled a shark tooth knife, except it was multiplied in size. The blade was sky blue in color, appearing to be crafted from some sort of material only in the Ice Kingdom. The handle was made of multiple layers of condensed transparent aluminum and other metals. The girl handling the aforementioned blade smiled as she waved it one good time, causing the boy to step back.

She smiled when she saw Silas' reaction to her swing, "Pretty sweet right?"

"I guess. . ."

Zoe slid the sword back into its sheath, "So?"

"I'll join you," He sighed, "I'll report to Ice King later. I'm sure he's not even home, probably out goofing." The boy turned around and started walking back toward the Grasslands he had just come from. His partner for his new mission followed closely behind, along with her wolf.

Silas was now deep in thought. He wanted to fight Flame Princess once more, and go all out. The boy felt as if he had to hold back since he had a mission. He didn't enjoy being embarrassed by anyone, especially a teenage girl who barely had a handle on her abilities.

The thoughts almost made him furious.

"You feel that?"

His thoughts had been cut short by Zoe. He stopped and tried to figure out what she was talking about, and then it hit him, "Yeah, I do."

Zoe managed to pull out binoculars from her travel bag. Her jaw dropped once she saw what was far off in the distance. She ended up pushing the binoculars into Silas' chest, "See for yourself."

He placed the binoculars over his eyes, and much like his partner; dropped his jaws. It was a humongous pillar of flames. While it didn't appear that big in the binocular lenses, it had to be huge if they could see it from the outskirts of the Grasslands.

It was getting warmer as they continued walking into the Grasslands, "We should check that out," said a curious Zoe.

"No, that can only lead to danger for us. I already tried to kidnap the human, so we should stay away from them at all costs," Silas told her as he tried to think of other routes, "We're hot right now."

"I wonder what's going on . . ."

. . .

( Picnic Site, with Finn and Flame Princess )

Finn's blood demon sword was stabbed into the ground, as he lay there with his head down. His clothes had been burned badly, and there were burns on his body as well. His lips were burnt the worst, yet he still wore a smile, until he looked up.

With a sinister smile of his own, there stood Flame King, and his daughter thrown over his shoulder. He began laughing, "I don't know how to thank you," The man continued his evil laughter for a long time. "You made it so easy, getting this girl so worked up and vulnerable. No one in the Flame Kingdom could ever accomplish that!"

The human's mouth was wide open, "What did you do to Flame Princess!?" He saw that his girlfriend's body didn't shine as bright as it normally did. It looked as if her flames had been doused, for her skin was a pinkish-gray color, and her hair fell down her back. Finn growled as he removed his sword from the ground and readied himself for battle, "You give her back, right now!"

The King's laughter never stopped, "You see, it's not that easy!" He took a few steps toward the boy, "I hate to tell you Finnian, Phineas, Finny, or whatever your name is; she is property of the Fire Kingdom. Before all else, she is my property, my seed, and I can use her however I see fit. She isn't just some toy for you run around and play with. This girl serves a purpose in this world, and you're only hindering her ability."

"I'm only here to make her happy," Finn said as he ran toward the King and tried to slice his arm off.

The man simply parried his strike by raising said arm, and pushed Finn away. He followed up by swing his leg around and kicking Finn into a tree, "I'm only here to make her better. That's what fathers do, Finn!" He let out another maniacal laugh, "Of course, you wouldn't know that! You have no family! Your whole race is extinct!"

"HE DOES HAVE A FAMILY!" An angry dog yelled as he slammed his fist down on the Ice King forcefully, "FINN IS MY BROTHER!"

Surprisingly, the Flame King held his hand up and kept the dog's oversized fist from making him one with the Earth. He pushed it away with relative ease and shot a blast of fire directly at Jake's face.

The dog dodged the counter by shrinking in size, and watched as the blast went flying off in the distance.

An explosion rocked the area as the sound of a firework went off in the sky. It was that same fireball that had been shot at Jake.

"Holy canoli," Princess Bubblegum stared in awe, as she saw what Jake had just saved the both of them from. He had shrunk down to his normal size, and the both of them ran to help Finn off of the ground.

The princess held up him by throwing his arm around her shoulder. Jake would serve as protection should the King try to attack them once more.

"A rare miss," The Flame King was still looking up in the sky where his fireball had been shot. "You're lucky, dog. That was just child's play. In fact, this whole altercation is just child's play. I'm merely being cordial with the three of you."

"Flame King, your daughter was made an official citizen of the Candy Kingdom recently. She's under my jurisdiction, not yours, so if you even attempt to leave with her; you're officially a criminal in the Candy Kingdom, and will be treated as such," PB informed her royal counterpart, "We'll let you off the hook if you simply return her."

Flame King was amused by the Bubblegum Princess, "Send your worst, I'll be looking forward to it." The man turned his back on the three of them and started walking away from them. He planned on returning to the Fire Kingdom, and no one could really stop him.

A tear streamed down Finn's face as he pushed himself away Princess Bubblegum and started running after the Flame King. He couldn't believe the man had the balls to do all of this, and expect to walk away so coolly. His sword was still strong in his grasp, as he raised it above his head, and the adrenaline pumping through his body kept him going.

He leaped into the air and tried to stab his blood demon sword right through the man's flaming head, "Give her back!"

The Flame King calmly turned around and grabbed the boy right out of the air. He pulled him in closer so they could be face to face, "Look here you little runt," He cracked an evil smile that sent a chill down Finn's spine. "If you don't want to die today, you'll turn around and go find yourself another lover, because this is the last time you'll be seeing Flame Princess."

Being dangled in the air by the back of his shirt, Finn hung his head, "No. . ." He looked up and met eyes with the King. "I will see the princess again—screw that; I will see _my _princess again. Nothing on this Earth can stop me, not even you."

"You must not realize how much more powerful I am than you."

"I do, but hard work and effort is the strongest thing known to man," He furrowed his brow and growled at the King, "You may be better than today, but just know I'll be ten times stronger tomorrow."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because, I'm smarter than you," Finn spit directly in the Flame King's eyes and got out of his grasp. He slid under the man before he regained his composure and stabbed his sword through his armor, where Finn thought the King's heart was. "Not as strong as you thought wer-"

The Flame King turned around and got his hands around Finn's neck, so he could choke him to death. The Princess fell off of her father's shoulders, as he lifted Finn into the air, and laughed as he watched the boy struggle for air. His face began turning purple, "My strength is definitely not in question now, isn't it Finley!?"

A powerful punch to the back got the King to drop Finn to the ground. It came from the dog, Jake who was now running to aid his brother in battle.

On the other side, Finn was trying to attack him as well.

The man was growing quite frustrated, because what was supposed to be an easy situation was being made complicated by mere weaklings. He spread his arms out and from his body came a ring of fire that knocked the two attackers away from him.

He angrily picked up his daughter and propelled himself into the air with the help of his flames and left with amazing speed. At the speed he flew off at, the sword Finn had driven through his chest fell from the sky. Everyone on the ground could hear the man cursing at himself as he flew off to his kingdom.

Finn lay with his back against the ground, staring into the sky, as the Flame King seemed to turn into one of the stars off in the distance. He sighed and covered his eyes as tears started to fall freely. The human slammed his fist against the ground. As if by design, his blood demon sword landed in the grass next him, "I don't want this!" The boy yelled, "I want the princess back!"

Princess Bubblegum slowly walked out toward the two, now injured warriors who lay in the grass. Jake was obviously doing better than Finn, so she went to console the hero.

She sat down in the grass next to Finn as he cried. The woman set a hand on his shoulder, "Finn," She sighed as she had to rub his shoulder soothingly to get him to calm down. "Everything is going to be alright, Finn, just please, settle down."

"We have to go," Finn mumbled, "We have to go now. To the Flame Kingdom and get her back. I need her back."

The Princess shook her head, "No, baby, we've gotta prepare for something like that. Rushing into the Flame Kingdom is no easy thing," She got her arms under Finn's warm body and picked him up, so she could carry him bridal style. She walked over to Jake and nudged him with her foot, "Let's go, we've got a lot to talk about."

"Five more minutes, mom."

"_Jake,_" The princess said with a stern voice, which made him jump up immediately.

"I just like lying in the grass."

"Go get Finn's sword and catch up," She said as she walked away and back toward the Tree Fort. The Princess felt a bit of 'I told you so' creeping in her system. The woman was right about most things, so she couldn't help but feel that way.

Jake had caught up in no time, "So what's the deal?"

"I saw what happened, with Flame Princess. The candle that her and Finn had lit, Flame King's presence was all over that thing. He can live in any flame," She informed the brothers, "So he probably knew what would happen, and chose to capitalize on the opportunity."

"I can't believe it . . ." Finn sighed as he buried his face in Bubblegum's stomach, "I told her to light that candle. This is my fault, all my fault."

"Finn, no, it's not your fault," The Princess frowned.

"Yeah man, you were just trying to be romantic," Jake patted his friend on the head, "Cheer up. We're going to storm into the Flame Kingdom and get your lady back before you know it."

"No, if we go about this incorrectly, we could spark a war between the Kingdoms and destroy the Land of Ooo," The Princess was dissatisfied with Jake's rather barbaric method of retrieval. "Having dealt with the Flame King before, I know that he would want something that was worth more, or at least equal in value to trade Flame Princess for."

Finn's eyes lit up when he heard that, "What does he want? I'll give him anything, all of my treasure, money—whatever!"

"Something that would boost the power of the Fire Kingdom," The Princess told Finn, which immediately soured his mood. "Unfortunately, I'm not willing to hand over something that valuable, Finn. I know Flame Princess means a lot to you Finn, but.."

Jake raised a brow, "But what?"

"I don't like appeasing or negotiating with enemies," She knew Finn wouldn't respond well to what she would tell him. He loved the girl so much, "The Flame Kingdom is too dangerous as it is, and the Flame King appeared to have gotten stronger since the last time we met. They don't need to get any stronger, Finn."

"So we're supposed just let Flame King keep Flame Princess in that lantern for the rest of her life!?" Finn yelled angrily.

"Finn she's too dangerous for you to be with, you need to accept that," She shook her head; "You can't even kiss her without nearly being burned to death. That's not a healthy relationship, Finn, trust me."

Jake offered to carry his brother, and PB gently set him into his arms, "Don't worry, bud, we'll figure something out."

"I'll be in the lab first thing tomorrow, Finn. If I find a way to get you two back together, I'll be sure to tell you immediately, okay?"

"Okay, princess."

The rest of the trip to the tree fort was spent in silence. All three were too deep in their own thoughts to speak.

Princess Bubblegum was thinking of a way to get Finn's girlfriend back.

Finn was thinking of a way to get his girlfriend back.

Jake? He was thinking about sandwiches.

Jake stopped in front of the door of the tree fort, which Princess Bubblegum opened for him.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to the hospital to get treatment?" The princess asked as she looked at Finn's burnt body.

"No, we still got some of that magic eye juice in the fort," He smiled at the princess, "Finn and I will fine."

"I want you two to come the hospital tomorrow, so I can check up on you. It's the least I can do."

". . . We'll be there," Finn mumbled out as Jake carried him inside. "Bye, Princess Bubblegum."

"By—"

The door shut and the Princess was left standing outside. She felt bad that Finn couldn't be with one he truly loved, but science and nature wouldn't allow them. She'd try to defy the odds for someone she looked at as a brother, "I'll see you guys later." Bubblegum whispered out softly as she turned her back on the fort and walked away.

She couldn't help but feel like her friends were acting weird.

The princess could only hope they weren't planning anything. Knowing them, that's exactly what they were doing.

. . .

( An hour later – Tree Fort – With Finn and Jake )

Jake gave his brother time to gain his composure. He had to let out some of his emotions while he was alone, and he understood that. In the mean time; he informed BMO of the situation, so the video game wouldn't feel left out. Once he did that, he was left sitting on the couch waiting for his brother to come downstairs.

Promptly after he sat on the couch, Finn climbed up from the Weapon's room. He smiled at his brother, it was a fake one, but it certainly made Jake feel better. The boy sat down next to his dog and placed his arm around him, "So what's the plan, Jake?"

The dog picked up the book he had sitting on the living room table. He ran his finger under the title, which read, '_56 Medieval Battle Tactics_.' Both of the heroes smiled at each other, "We're going medieval on them fools," He cracked the book open to a page he had bookmarked. Jake read the chapter title out loud, "Method 38: _Saving Your Princess_, Finn, I swear they wrote this book for us."

"Who wrote this?"

"Some Vikings," Jake informed his human friend.

Finn laughed, "Seriously, some Vikings?"

The dog closed his book and placed his finger on the author's name, "_Some Vikings_." He opened it back up, "It has everything we need right here. If we follow this to the letter, you'll be smooching your princess in no time, man!"

The human had been as excited as he had ever been, "What's the first step?"

"Assemble your team."


	4. Assemble Your Team

**Chapter 4  
"Assemble Your Team."**

Finn dribbled the basketball between his legs as he tried to push his way past his defender and get to the basket. However, his opponent stayed put in front of him, shuffling her feet and getting in front of him to cut off his lane to the rim. The boy moved back to where he once stood and frowned, "I can see you've been working on your defense, Marcy."

She extended her arms and grinned, "You've gotten better since the last time we've played. It's like you spent those six months dribbling."

The human shook his head and tried once more to drive to the basket attached to her home, which was situated inside of a dark cave. It had a little light peeking into, so he could at least see.

As he drove to the hole, Marceline reached in, in an attempt to steal the ball from Finn. The boy's reaction was a spin that left Marceline standing there in awe as he ascended and dunked the ball with force. He landed on the ground and smile.

"That's game," He laughed as Marceline gave him a high five.

"Good game, Finn," The girl scratched her head, "How did you get that good?"

"We have _a lot _of tapes at the treasure room. Movies, full sports games, and TV shows. I've been collecting them with Flame Princess. We usually find them buried in some dungeons," He saw that he hadn't really answered his friend's question. "There was this league, called the NBA way back then. They were great basketball players, and I just picked up little things from them."

"So you know about Michael Jordan?" Marceline asked with a smile, "I always looked up to him when I was lil' one, before, you know; all the humans died."

"He was alive then?"

"Nah, he was long since gone, but he was still remembered," The girl went over and picked up the game. "Finn, you've earned something, kid."

The boy's eyes lit up childishly, "What, what is it?"

She gestured him forth as she walked over to the door of her home and they went inside. The girl took her headband off and threw it on her kitchen counter. She opened the door that led to her living room, which doubled as the entrance to her home, "Go on."

The girl went over to the fridge to grab a fresh apple as she bit into it, sucking out the red coloring she craved so much. She followed Finn into the living room, and climbed up the ladder. Her friend followed as they went into her bedroom.

The human sat on her bed as she walked over to the closet and started digging through old boxes she had used to store collectibles. She organized her valuables unlike Finn, who simply stacked them in a room at his fort.

The girl found what she was looking for and showed it to her human friend, "As promised," The vampire queen walked over to the bed and sat them in his lap. "Your own pair of basketball shoes, since you beat me for the first time in forever. They're some of the most iconic shoes of their time."

Finn couldn't keep away his smile as he hugged them ever so slightly. They were red, white, and black. The red dye used to paint the shoes was dingy, and the white coloring was off-white at best. The black had even lost some of its darkness, but it was a meaningful gift nonetheless.

The boy looked up and smiled, "Thank you, Marcy; I really appreciate this." Finn tied the shoelaces from the other shoe with each other so he could carry them by the lace, "Now I'm really gonna start beating you."

The vampire queen raised a curious brow, "I remember you saying that you came over here for something?"

"Yeah . . . It's not exactly easy to come out with," Finn scratched the back of his head. "I need some help from you. The only thing is, if we aren't successful; we probably would spend a looooot of time in prison."

"Shoot."

"Okay, Flame Princess was kidnapped by the Flame King, and the only way as of right now to get my girl back is to sneak into the Fire Kingdom and steal her again."

"Hm," The Queen tapped her chin in deep thought. She would help Finn no matter what endeavor. No matter how dangerous it may be, but she wanted to make this fun at least. "What can I get out of it?"

"Every red thing I own, and any red thing I might collect in any of my adventures."

"I'm cool with that," The girl smiled at her friend and turned around to return to her closet. She to had to change clothes, "When are we going to storm the kingdom, Finn?"

"Soon, Jake and I still haven't finished planning, but we'll be done as soon as tomorrow." The boy stood up, "We'll call you as you we're done so we can discuss the plan with you and the others."

Marceline was surprised, "Others? Don't you think too many people could mess up being discreet?"

"It won't be a whole army, probably like four or five people including Jake, you, and I."

The girl furrowed her brow, "Alright, Finn. You guys better think this thing through," She pointed her finger at him and gave him a stern glance. She walked into her bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Finn assumed he would be letting himself out, "Alright, Marcy! See ya!" The boy took his relatively new shoes and made his way downstairs. He had to meet back up with his brother to further discuss their plans before things became official.

He walked out of the front door, whistling a jaunty tune as he thought about his next destination, and then it hit him. Something about him felt lighter. First he thought all of that basketball dropped some weight off of him, but he got in his right mind.

His backpack was missing, "Glob, I'm so dumb. I left it on Marceline's bed."

The boy turned around and went back into her house to get his ever important backpack. It contained every essential tool a hero would need during adventure. Medicine, weapons, and little knick knacks one might think are cool.

He climbed back up the ladder still whistling, "Hey Marcy, I'm back! I forgot my bac—" The boy was cut short as his eyes laid upon Marceline getting dressed. His cheeks were as red as ever, being exposed to Marceline's naked body.

She turned around seeing Finn's top half of his face peeking into her bedroom, "What is it, Finn?" The girl was completely comfortable, and enjoyed getting a rise out of one her favorite heroes.

As the naked girl floated closer, Finn's vision got blurrier. He completely blacked out and ended up falling from the ladder.

"Aw, crud…."

. . .

( At Lady Rainicorn's House – With Jake and Jake Jr. )

The now grown Jake Jr. stared at her father in not only disappointment, but disbelief. She shook her head, "So you want to invade a kingdom."

"Yes."

"Pick a fight with one of the most oppressive forces in all of Ooo."

"Yup."

"Then steal his daughter only to possibly be arrested when you return."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

". . . Dad, you and Finn are absolutely insane," She placed her face into the palm of her blue hand and sighed. "You're about to stress me out, dad, seriously."

"So will you help, honey?" He pleaded his daughter.

The rainicorn-dog hybrid groaned as she tucked her newspaper under her arm, "You know, I have a lot to live for. This sounds life threatening, dad."

"Yeah, everything I do is life threatening though. Even my breakfast is a dance with death, but you've to take risks, kiddo!"

"Not dumb risks, dad," Jake's daughter got up from her seat at the table and walked over to the refrigerator to pull out a carton of milk, "However, I love you and Finn to death, and I like Flame Princess a lot, so . . ."

Jake perked up and smiled.

"I'll help. I won't be fighting though, just taking over the planning, because let's face it; I've been planning things like this for years now."

The dog jumped up and down excitedly and went over to hug his daughter, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"One last thing, dad," She said as she got herself loose from Jake's hug and set the jug of milk on the table. "Who's going to watch over mom's house while she and the others are away visiting her parents?"

"Um. . . I'll find someone, don't worry," He patted her on the back. "We've got a lot to talk about, so we should start like right now."

"What about Finn?"

"He should've been here by now. I don't know what's taking him so long," He went over the wall of the kitchen and picked up one of the phones and dialed Finn's cellular. There were a few rings and finally someone answered, "Dude where are you?"

"Hello to you too, Jake," The boy knocked on a door wherever he was.

Ironically, Jake Jr. heard a knock on the door at their place. She went to answer the door, only to see Finn standing there on his phone, which he proceeded to put back into his bag. The dog looked up at the boy, "You got taller."

"Yeah," He laughed and gave a hug to his niece, picking her up and spinning her around. "It's great to see you again."

The human boy set her down and allowed her to walk back into the house. She was sort of frustrated, "I'm not a kid anymore, you've got to stop doing that," The woman mumbled her breath.

Finn followed her into the kitchen and waved at his brother, "Marcy's on board."

"So is Jake Jr., which makes me think we're ready," Jake told his brother.

"No, we still need one more person to balance this all out. Remember, I said I'm not fighting anyone; I'm simply the brains of this operation," Jake's daughter saw her dad clinging onto a book, and she promptly ripped it from his grasp. She went and sat down with it and opened on the page they left off on, "We've pretty much assembled the team as instructed. My addition to this team will make us complete, which allows us to move to the next step."

The brothers spoke in unison, "Which is?"

"**Step 2: Formulate Your Plan**," She said as she used the blank pages provided to write on. Jake had a pen sitting between the pages, "We're going to be sneaking into the Fire Kingdom, which pretty much allows all inhabitants. It's guarded, but as evidenced by how you met FP, almost anyone can waltz in there. We'll use that to our advantage."

"Don't you think they're on the defensive now that he's expecting Jake and I to come?"

Jake Jr. shook her head, "I doubt it. The Flame King is probably welcoming a fight with open arms. He loves to show off his strength to his citizens, so the only resistance you might receive is going to be from the King personally."

"We should still take precautions, Junior," Jake said as he walked up to his daughter and watched over what she wrote down.

"That's why we have you, Marceline, and my friend to protect Finn from any obstacle he might face. The main objective in this raid of the Fire Kingdom is to retrieve the Princess. It's pretty straightforward," The woman continued writing down little notes as she spoke. "We want to be discreet once we arrive. I'm sure his guards will alert him of our arrival, but we still want to at least try to get the drop on him, so we can grab the girl in one fell swoop."

Jake's daughter suddenly got up, "I can't finish planning without a complete team." The woman closed the book and tucked it under her arm and walked out of the kitchen, "We're about to get my friend now."

Finn had sat in silence for the most part, since all he could really think about was saving the princess. He was lucky to have one of the brightest people in all of Ooo next to Princess Bubblegum on his side. The boy followed after his niece, and her father came running behind him.

"Who is your friend, Junior?" The dog asked his daughter.

"She works for the _Bath Boys_."

. . .

(Bath Boys HQ)

A woman rested her head against the edge of her Jacuzzi, which sat on the highest platform in the room. It overlooked her whole headquarters. She had a cigar hanging limply from her lips, as she inhaled and exhaled a small plume of smoke. The woman sat it down on the ledge and relaxed in her Jacuzzi.

She had pale yellow skin and dark brown eyes. Her hair matched her eyes, as it hung without restraint, and soaked in the water with her. She had large bust that was covered by a dark blue t-shirt, and her rear was covered by a bikini bottom of the same color.

The woman had taken over as the leader of the Bath Boys a few years prior, and she couldn't help but feel like it was a great job. It made her feel like royalty, and had her own kingdom. An experience she never thought she would live as a child.

"Yo," Another woman called out to her.

She leaned forward and rested her arms on the ledge of her Jacuzzi and sat her head upon them for cushion. "What is it?"

"You have visitors."

She wasn't expecting company, "Bring them in."

The first to enter the room was Jake Jr., who was followed by her father and Finn the Human. She gave a light wave to her long time friend, "Yo, yo. Long time no see."

"You crazy son of a bi—"

"Hey don't talk about my lady like that!" Jake yelled defensively, "Lady is great."

The woman furrowed her brow and turned her attention to Jake for a moment, "This is a conversation between friends, dog." She snapped her fingers and the trio were surrounded immediately by large green dudes that were ready to fight. "You'll get funked up really quick."

"Let's not do this," Jake Junior pushed past once of the guards and walked closer to the woman's Jacuzzi. "I came here to negotiate, not pick a fight with you guys."

The woman stood up and folded her arms, "Why should I negotiate with a person like you?" She stared the nearly faceless hybrid down, and she received the same negative energy in return. "You almost got me killed."

"I actually saved you," Jake Junior mumbled under her breath. If she had eyes she would roll them, "It was a simply an operation gone wrong. That's a rarity for me, not to sound cocky or anything."

"Your resume is impressive but . . ."

"Ava, shut up for once and let me talk," The daughter of Jake sighed, "We've got a proposition for you and your crew."

Ava stepped out of her Jacuzzi and stood on the platform. It descended to the ground and she walked up to the hybrid, "Let's hear it."

"My friend here," Jake Junior turned around and pointed at the lone human in the room. Every one raised a brow for a moment.

Finn's was holding his nose while wearing an awkward smile on his face, "H-Hi." He was trying to keep his nosebleed to himself and only himself.

Jake punched his brother in the knee, causing them to buckle, and he dropped his hands. His bloody nose was revealed to everyone in the room, "What the junk, Finn? What's wrong?"

He laughed awkwardly, "Ha ha, nothing. It's nothing," The human waved, "I'm Finn the Human."

"You're acting weird dude," Jake said as he turned back to Ava. Everyone else in the room nodded unanimously with Jake's statement.

"Ok . . . what does this weirdo have to do with it?" Ava said as she walked over Finn to examine him, "Are we supposed to be protecting him or something."

"Sort of," Jake Jr. explained as she turned along with Ava as she moved between Finn and Jake, "His girlfriend, the Flame Princess was kidnapped recently by the Flame King. We want to kidnap her back."

Ava's head spun quickly, "The Flame King? You want to pick a fight with the Flame King!?"

"Well, yeah," Finn said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "He's not that tough."

"You people are lunatics," Ava shook her head and walked away from the trio. "Guards, get them out of here."

All three of them were grabbed by the arm and started to be dragged out of the room. Jake Jr. removed her arm from the guards grasp and calmly walked back to where she once stood, "Wait, dingwad, you didn't even hear my proposal for you."

Ava stopped in her tracks, still having her back turned to her past partner in crime.

"The bounty on Flame King's head," The hybrid saw she caught the criminal's interest with it. "We'll give the whole thing to you."

Both of the brothers were ready to interject, "WHAT!?" Both men yelled in unison.

The leader of the Bath Boys turned around with a smile on her face. She stroked her chin thinking about what she could do with that sort of money, "That actually doesn't sound that bad." The bikini clad woman walked up to Jake Jr. and extended her hand. "I think we have a deal."

The two women shook on the deal.

"Now, here's what I want," Jake Jr. instantly soured the woman's mood upon making demands. "We want your little sister, Xoana."

"Whoa," The woman shook her head rapidly. "You're not bringing my little sis into your mess."

"She's everything I need for this mission," Jake Jr. smiled, "Girl's got the gift of gab, a strategic mind, and the heart of a warrior. What more could you ask for?"

" . . . I don't send her on just any mission, okay?" The woman motioned the guards to bring Finn and Jake forth. "I've gotta make sure she's in good hands."

Finn and Jake were thrown onto the ground.

Ava grabbed Finn by the back of his shirt and lifted him off of the ground easily. She raised him to eye level, "This scrawny little kid wants to invade the Fire Kingdom? Ha!" She laughed to herself, "I'd love to see you try and burn, but there's a lot of money involved in this, so I'm willing to help. However, my sister is the most important thing in the world to me, so you've gotta show me that you can protect her if need be."

"Of course I can, I've been protecting princesses since I was a kid!"

"You still are," Ava informed the boy quickly, "So you guys have to go convince her to come on this mission yourselves. You have my blessing, but have a fun time getting her to go along."

"This'll be easy," Finn folded his arms and grinned confidently.

The woman dropped him onto the ground, "Whatever."

Finn turned to his brother, "This'll be easy, right, Jake?"

There was no response. There was snoring though, if that helps.

The human frowned and nudged the dog with his foot, "Dude, wake up."

The magic dog quickly regained his senses and jumped up, "My bad dude, all that walking made me mad sleepy."

"Let's get out of here, Jake, Jake Jr.," Finn and Jake promptly started walking out of the room.

"You guys are so stupid . . . ," The hybrid stayed put, "Where is your sister at, Ava?"

The woman could only offer a shrug as she ascended on her platform to get back into her Jacuzzi, "You'll have to find out for yourself. She roams around a lot."

"Where was the last place she was headed?"

"Um, Ice Kingdom I think. She was assigned to a mission out there, but that was a few weeks ago. I know she's alive, but have no idea where she is."

"God I hate you."

Ava leaned back in the water and smiled. She was reaching her comfortable place again and started zoning any and everything out.

"Glob," Jake Jr. buried her hand in her face in disappointment. A loud groan was followed when she saw Finn and Jake had already left. She thought the two had stopped to wait for her, but they had been long gone.

The hybrid immediately ran out of the room, so she could not only find her father and uncle, but try to track down her new target.

She was already regretting taking this job.

. . .

(Outskirts of Candy Kingdom – With Finn and Jake)

"You know, all of this walking is making me hungry," Jake rubbed his stomach. It grumbled loud enough for both heroes to hear, "I think we should get some food."

"I agree with your gut," Finn stopped. "Let's go in the Candy Kingdom and grab something to munch on," The boy turned in the opposite direction. He saw the gates of the kingdom off in the distance, "We can call Jake Jr. and see what she's doing too."

Jake nodded and started running toward the gate excitedly. Finn followed suit and waved his arms wildly as the duo went to search for something to eat. Heroes do need their nutrition.

"Some joe would actually be great," Jake yelled out to his brother.

"Who is Joe?" Finn asked in response.

"Coffee!"

"Joe Coffee? I've never met him," Finn mumbled as he ran behind his brother.

Yellow arms extended and grabbed Finn and lifted him into the air. Jake stretched in height and took giant steps throughout the Candy Kingdom.

He returned to his normal size when he arrived in front of his favorite coffee shop in all of Ooo. –It might not have been his favorite, but it was up there, okay? He just wanted something to drink.

The brothers walked into the shop and ran to the counter.

A piece of coffee candy walked up to the counter and smiled at them, "My name is Joe Coffee! How can I help you guys?"

"This is the Joe you were talking about?"

Jake shook his head, "No—the actual coffee, Finn!" He placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward, "Can I get a . . . " The dog was now in deep thought.

Another piece of coffee candy walked up to the counter and set a mug onto the counter, "Xoana, your coffee is ready!"

A girl with pale yellow skin and tied up brown hair walked to the counter. She wore nothing but a t-shirt, a bikini bottom, and a pair of bath slippers. The girl had a blade fastened into a strap attached to her shirt, serving as her only form of protection.

She calmly picked up her coffee and walked back to her table, where she sat calmly.

Finn watched her the whole time, even while she still sat drinking her coffee. His brother was busy ordering coffee, so he decided to take the mission into his own hands. The boy went over to her table and sat across from her.

Xoana sat her coffee mug down and furrowed her brow. There was a moment of silence between the two. Anyone around of them would have called it 'awkward.'

The human tapped the table to a rhythm, "So . . ." He mumbled trying to break the silence.

The girl had no problem responding, "What do you want?"

"You're uh . . . Ava's sister right?"

"Yes," The girl took a sip and looked away from Finn, "Now tell me what you really want."

"I want you."

She turned her head and blushed a bit, "What?"

"N-No I mean I want you to help me and my brother! We've got a mission that we want you to help us with," Finn laughed awkwardly and looked around the room for a minute. "Your sister said you would help us. We just had to find you."

Xoana nodded as he drank her coffee. She set the mug down and leaned back in her chair, "What do I get out of this?"

"A fraction of Flame King's bounty," Finn heard Ava and Jake Jr. come to agreement about it.

"Ok," Xoana stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "You've gotta prove that you can roll with me, kid."

Finn raised a brow as he saw the girl sliding her blade from its sheath, which was situated on her back. He scooted away from her in his chair, and flipped out of it.

He saw that she was charging toward him, so he threw the chair in her direction. He would also draw his own weapon so he could protect himself. The boy wasn't expecting her to break out into a fight in public, at a nice coffee shop.

The chair thrown at Xoana was cut cleanly in half. She leaped over the table and spun her blade in her hand, planning to stab Finn right in his neck.

The human blocked the attempt with his Demon Blood sword, and pushed her away from him and onto the ground. "Wait, can we take this somewhere else!?"

Xoana tumbled across the ground and regained her footing instantly. She got back into a fighting pose, "No enemy plays by your rules, boy."

Finn wanted to debate, but closed his mouth when he saw Jake trying to grab her from behind.

The girl jumped out of the way and landed on another table. She didn't expect the large hand to follow her to the new table, "Shi—"

Jake got a hold of her and she kicked trying to free herself from his grasp. The dog frowned at Finn, "Why didn't you just wait for me, bro?"

"I didn't know she was going to try and kill me!" Finn yelled out defensively.

The sound of sirens was getting closer to the coffee shop. All three of them said, "Uh-oh," simultaneously.

Jake's hand was bitten and he quickly let go of the girl, "Whoa!" He grabbed her again and stretched his face to be directly in front of hers, "Do you promise to chill?"

"Yeah," The girl rolled her eyes.

Jake motioned for Finn to follow and the dog jetted out of the store at speeds Finn had never seen before. He ran out behind him, simply trying to keep pace.

Finn was confused, "Why are we running from the Banana guards!?"

Jake was quick to explain, "Because if Princess Bubblegum finds out what's going on, she'll put us both on lockdown!"

"We could've just lied," Finn said as he sprinted behind his brother out of the Candy Kingdom.

"You know you couldn't lie to the Princess, Finn, she makes you weak in the knees."

The human pouted, "Does not."

"Dog, would you let me go!" The girl being held by Jake screamed.

Jake dropped her immediately and slowed down. He dropped down to the ground, "I hate running. If running was dude, I'd punch him in the boingloins."

"Glob, Jake!" The boy ran over and picked up his magic dog. "Let's get out of here, Xoana."

"Before we go," The bath boy put her tantō back into its sheath, "I officially decided to help. That was the most fun I've had in a while. I can see that you guys have no boundaries."

". . . Right," Finn shook his head and turned his head to where he would normally head if he were returning home. "We need to call Jake Jr." He pushed the resting Jake into Xoana's arms.

Finn pulled out an old handheld radio. He turned the knob on it, and switched through many faces. The boy stopped it on his new leader, Jake Jr.

The other person on the line responded instantly, "FINN, WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU!?"

Finn frowned, "Outside the Candy Kingdom, we've got Xoana too."

That seemed to calm down Jake Jr. a lot, "Okay . . . here's the plan. You call Marceline, and have her meet us at the Tree Fort. I'll be there later."

"Okay, I'll see you late—"

Before Finn could end the call, Jake Jr. spoke up one last time, "Don't let anyone into the Tree Fort unless they do the secret knock."

"Uh, ok."

Their call ended like that and Finn put the handheld radio back into his backpack. He looked over to Xoana and Jake. The boy walked over and poked the dog in the eye.

He woke up and smiled, "Aw, man; I needed that."

"We're going home, Jake," Finn informed his brother, as he got out of the girl's arms and walked himself. The human fell into step with his brother, and Xoana mimicked Finn.

It wouldn't take long for the trio to arrive back at the Tree Fort.

. . .

(Princess Bubblegum's Castle)

The princess nodded her head understandingly, "At least you tried, guys." She shooed the Banana Guards away, "Now run along babies and protect the kingdom."

The woman sat behind a desk, which was littered with multiple papers. She slammed her fist on the table, "What are those lunatics up to?" She asked herself as she shook her head. The princess would be highly disappointed if Finn and Jake were going against her wishes.

She arranged a stack of papers on her desk and started reading the one that had been delivered recently. After getting the gist of the situation, she frowned, "They ran from the banana guards? What is up with them?" She continued to read over the report, "Destroyed Joe Coffee's shop? Meeting with strange women!?"

PB got up from her desk. She needed to take a walk around her kingdom, so she could think of what she would do with Finn and Jake. The woman could only hope that the famous duo didn't have any evil intentions, and they probably didn't, but she wouldn't put anything past anyone.

"I should go check up on my heroes."

. . .


	5. Trapped

**Chapter 5  
Trapped**

Finn was slumped on the couch in the living room of the tree fort. He and his new team had been running around the Land of Ooo all day preparing. His tiredness was finally starting to catch up with him, which was evident since he was slowly drifting to sleep on the couch.

The rest of the new team was assembled in the living room too. Jake Jr. sat next to Finn, using the table as a platform to organize all of her plans for them. Marceline, who had arrived earlier was floating around, plucking strings on her guitar. Jake was in the kitchen looking for something to eat, and the last member of the team; Xoana was standing in the corner waiting for instruction.

Finn was waiting for an order as well, and as he slowly started to slip from this realm of consciousness; Jake Jr. stood up and yelled, "That's it!" Everyone's attention turned to Jake's daughter, "We're ready to go. All we need now is some new equipment and flame shields."

The human rubbed his eyes and yawned, "I'm ready to go now if need be," He said as he slowly got up from the couch and stretched his arms out. Another yawn escaped his mouth and he suddenly slouched. "At least I think."

"That won't be necessary, we'll leave tomorrow. We're all tired," Jake Jr. sat Finn back down on the couch. "I'll just run through the plans and then we can all get some shuteye."

Everyone in the room started to congregate around the table sitting in front of the couch. Jake Jr. promptly opened her 'planner' to a specific page and quickly re-read it. She looked up, clapped her hands together, and smiled at her team. However, as she opened her mouth, there was a knock on the door, and everyone raised a brow.

"Did you invite anyone else over, Finn?" Jake asked his brother.

The boy shook his head, "Not that I remember."

Jake Jr. sighed, "Alright, Finn and Xoana go upstairs into the bedroom and wait until I say you can return. Xoana, don't even think about coming down here. " The woman shooed both of the teenagers away and looked over to her dad, "Alright, Dad; go get a deck of cards and set 'em around the table like we were already playing."

"What about me?" Marceline asked as she floated there with her axe/guitar.

"Clean everything off of the table and take it upstairs into the bedroom with Finn and Xoana. Come back down after that and pretend like you're playing cards with Jake," The rainicorn said as she finally walked over to the ladder and climbed down so she could go and answer the door.

When she swung the door open, she saw the Princess of the Candy Kingdom standing there with a smile on her face. The dog smiled back at her new guest, "Oh, hey PB!" She gestured for the woman to come in, "We weren't expecting anyone else to come, so we were sort of locked into our card game."

The Princess smiled, "Oh, it's no problem. I know how Jake gets when we play cards." She had her arms folded over her chest, "I just came over here to check on Finn and Jake. I understand that they both want to see Flame Princess again, and I just wanted to let them kno—"

"You could just come up stairs . . ." Jake Jr. said as she was already climbing up the ladder to rejoin her 'card game.'

When the dog returned to the living room, she was satisfied to see things set up exactly as she imagined. There were three sets of cards sitting around the table, with BMO sitting on the table keeping track of who was in the lead. Marceline and Jake sat there with a smile on their face.

Marceline noticed came up with Jake Jr., "Who was it?"

"Princess Bubblegum, she's on her way up here," Jake Jr. informed Marceline and Jake.

Promptly after Jake Jr. stopped talking, the Princess climbed up the ladder and entered the living room with a smile and a wave. She stopped walking and stood next to Jake Jr., "Sorry to interrupt your card game on such short notice, I just wanted to check on you guys."

"It's alright, you could've called, but it doesn't really matter," Jake said as he quietly giggled while looking at his set of cards.

Princess Bubblegum looked around the room, "Where's Finn at?"

"Upstairs getting some sleep, he's had a long day," Marceline told the Princess as she drew a card while Jake wasn't looking.

"Oh, well I just wanted to give him this," The Princess reached into her dress, which had an inner pocket, and pulled out a pink sheet of paper. She walked over and gave it to Jake, "There's someone I wanted him to meet tomorrow. I thought she would help with his whole Flame Princess situation."

Jake accepted the sheet of paper and set it down on the table in front of him, "Yeah, I'll give it to him." The dog quickly returned his attention to the game at hand, "Junior, it's your turn. Get over here."

Jake Jr. followed her dad's order and sat back down on the couch, "Do you want to join the next game, Princess?"

The Princess wanted to see Finn, but at that moment she felt like he was in good hands with his family, so she would leave and possibly return later. She shook her head, "No, I'll run along now. I've got more business to tend to around here." The woman turned around, "Just make sure Finn behaves and comes to see me tomorrow. Those are direct orders."

She left the room on that note. The card game façade continued until they heard the woman close the door. Even then, they made sure she put some distance between herself and the house before they resumed their previous conversation.

"I don't trust that Princess Bubblegum," Jake Jr. said as she immediately started cleaning up their fake card game. She pushed the cards into her father's grasp and went to sit back down on the couch. The woman stroked her chin, "Something seems off about her. She's been sniffing her nose all up in our business lately."

"She's just concerned," Jake assured his daughter, wanting to believe that Princess Bubblegum wouldn't go be a nosey person.

"I think she's too concerned, that's all I'm saying," Jake Jr. sighed, since she knew that they couldn't keep the wool over Princess Bubblegum's eyes forever. She was a smart woman, and one of the greatest minds in the history of Ooo. While she considered herself to be a genius, she knew outsmarting the Princess would be no easy task.

"We'll just have to cover our tracks better," Marceline patted Jake Jr. on the shoulder, "She's smart, but come on."

"What?"

"You're pretty smart yourself," Marceline alerted the leader of their mission.

Jake Jr. shrugged her shoulders and scooted forward so she could sit on the edge of the couch. "Marceline, go get Finn and Xoana, we'll discuss the plans and then get some rest. I'll also get the Flame Shields ready too."

The leader of this operation leaned back on the couch and placed her hands on her stomach. She let out a quiet sigh as she started to piece things together in her mind. She wanted to make sure this mission went as smooth as possible, so Finn could have his loved one back.

As she thought, her team began to reassemble around the table once more. She sat up and folded her arms over her chest, "Alright," She looked at everyone around her. "First and foremost . . . are you guys even ready for this? I want you to remember that we're going to lurking around one of the most dangerous places in Ooo. Know what you're getting into."

Marceline, Xoana, Finn, and Jake all exchanged looks. They all simultaneously nodded, assuring Jake Jr. that they were willing to go on a mission as dangerous as this one.

"I'll do anything to get Flame Princess back," Finn said confidently, staring at Jake Jr. while knocking on his chest.

"Okay, we're going to meet up with Flambo tomorrow, so we can get a hold of those great flame shields," Jake Jr. told them all, "For the most part, we're going to be laying low once we arrive. The King will know of our arrival almost instantly, so we'll be covering our tracks as soon as we get there. We're trying to maintain an element of surprise. Once it seems like he doesn't have tabs on us anymore, we strike."

"How are we going to be discreet in _his_ kingdom?" Marceline wondered aloud, as she stared at the ring leader with a confused expression.

"I know places and I know people. The way it's been set up, we'll have sort of a 'railroad' system going on within the Kingdom. Allies of mine will provide us with safe havens and paths over the course of a week that'll lead us directly to the King's castle," Everyone in attendance nodded in understanding, "We're trying to avoid confrontation unless absolutely necessary. Flame shields are only so strong, and with the way things are going; I don't see us not seeing anything less than Fire Kingdom elite."

"We can handle them!" Finn yelled excitedly.

"You can, but your shield can't. Once that thing disappears; you might as well kiss your life goodbye. Fighting with a fire elemental is not fun," Jake Jr.'s face cringed for a moment, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Jake raised a brow, "Are you going to be traveling with us?" He was concerned for his daughter's well being, seeing that she wasn't the warrior like everyone else in the room. It was her mind that made her great, "I don't want you getting hurt because of Finn and I's antics."

"To make sure things are going smoothly, I'll be in the Fire Kingdom, but I won't with you one hundred percent of the time. I'll be working from the shadows for the most part," Jake Jr. responded and then smiled at her dad. "You have nothing to worry about."

A breath of relief left Jake and he returned her smile. With that, he left the group, so he could go and get some sleep. It had indeed been a long day.

Finn was next to stand and stretch out. He yawned and slipped his hands into his pocket, "What time are we leaving our JJ?"

Jake Jr. got up from the couch, "Early in the morning. I'll wake you guys up individually."

As everyone around her prepared to start getting ready for bed, Xoana stood there with a confused look. She looked around and then locked on Finn, "Where am I supposed to sleep then?"

"Um .. I've got an extra mattress somewhere stashed in the treasure room," Finn scratched the back of his head, "Unless you want to sleep on one of our couches?"

"I'd prefer a mattress," The girl responded quickly.

Finn nodded and gestured toward downstairs, "Come with me to get it then, because I'll definitely need help brining it back up the ladder."

The boy made his way to the ladder and climbed down to the entrance to his home, which was also the 'treasure room' full of precious gold and artifacts.

Xoana followed behind her new companion and stood behind him as he immediately dove into the treasure in order to find the mattress he talked about earlier. She wasn't used to these kinds of people, but she was learning to get used to with every moment. They may have been weird, but they were paying her, so she'd put up with it.

Within the pile of treasure, Finn had grabbed onto the ledge of the mattress, and started to pull it out. A lot of he and Jake's treasure started to drop and spread onto the ground. When he pulled it out completely, it littered the ground with treasures from all over the world.

The bathboy kneeled down and picked a random gold coin off of the ground and examined. It was authentic, which made her smile and nod out of respect. She quietly slipped it into one of her pockets and acted as if it never happened. "So this is the mattress?" She asked to kill the silence that filled the room between her and Finn.

Finn placed his hands on his hips and took a deep breath, "Yup," He smiled at the girl, "It used to belong to a Prince, at least that's what the rumor is. Jake and I found it in a market. It was on sale, because the prince allegedly died in the bed, but it was on sale so . . ." The boy looked up to see that Xoana had a disturbed expression on her face. He returned her expression with a confused one, "What? It was on sale!"

At this point, she could only laugh. The girl walked over to the mattress and sat down on it. It was definitely comfortable, "It was made for a prince, that's for sure." Xoana looked up at Finn, who wore a puzzled facial expression, "Don't worry, I have no problem sleeping on it. I've been through weirder situations, so this is nothing new." To show him she was comfortable, she decided to lie down in front of him.

The human sat down on the mattress, "Wow, this is really comfortable. It's like my butt is being kissed by angels."

Xoana laughed once more and sat up with Finn. She looked at the boy for a moment. Silence filled the room again. There was also an air of awkwardness, since Finn had no idea why Xoana chose to stop talking and simply stare at him. The girl was examining her temporary teammate all of sudden, before turning her head away.

"So, about this Flame Princess girl," The girl looked Finn, "Tell me about her. What was she like?"

The boy's head now hung low as he stared at the ground, "She was great. Flame Princess is almost unexplainable," Finn sighed as memories of his girlfriend rolled into his head. She hadn't been gone for long, but he was really worried about her. He had gone six months without her, but he at least knew she was safe, and with the comfort of friends. She was currently helpless and around hostile people, "FP has so many great qualities, I can't even pick one and explain it thoroughly. All I know is, she's everything anyone could ever want in a woman."

The criminal patted Finn on the back, "She sounds like she means a lot to you," Xoana finally turned her head to meet eyes with Finn. "I was just wondering, because I wouldn't help you if you didn't truly love that girl. Yeah, the money helps, but for something like this; I'd like to know that your heart is invested completely in this mission."

Finn grinned and nodded, "One hundred percent. I'd give up anything for Flame Princess to be happy and free."

"That's nice to know," Xoana's eyes averted from Finn's as she folded her arms over her chest. "There should be more people like you out there."

The boy would accept the compliment, but he really didn't see himself as the ideal person. He was simply doing what he thought to be the right thing to do. Finn placed his hands in his lap, "What makes you say that?"

Xoana shrugged her shoulders, "You're just a good person. You have a good heart, I can feel it." She had met very few people like Finn. They were hard to come by, and when she did meet them; she saw them go on to do great things in the world. "You have very heroic qualities, I'll say, but I guess that's a one in a million kind of trait. I love those sorts of people; they make me want to be better."

"What would be better for you?"

"Finally leaving the Bath Boys and doing something that can contribute to the greater good of the world," Xoana mumbled out as she sighed, "I was forced into this lifestyle, now I just want to escape it."

"Why don't you just leave? You're old enough to make your own decisions, right?"

Xoana laughed at Finn's questions, "If only it were that easy." She stood up and lifted up her shirt, revealing a barcode tattooed onto her stomach. There was a series of numbers under the barcode right under it, "I was born into this, and once you join the Bath Boy Gang; you're a bath boy for life. My sister is the leader too . . . and I just couldn't see myself abandoning her in any way, shape, or form."

"That's not even cool . . . " Finn was actually sad for the girl, but that's just how he was. He understood her last point, because he'd never abandon Jake. It was weird, but he would support him in almost any of his endeavors; no matter how crazy they were. That's what siblings were supposed to do in his mind. "I've got a good feeling you'll be free from them soon enough, just stay patient. Good things usually come to those who wait, and karma will definitely be on your side."

"I hope so, and I'll leave it that. I think I've said too much for today," The girl gave Finn a shooing motion. "I'll just sleep down here. At this point, I don't have any energy to anything else."

The boy nodded and turned his back on Xoana, "Before I leave, do you want me to bring you a cover or anything?" He twisted his body to face her partially.

She shook her head, "I'll be fine, Finn."

The human took that as his hint to leave and went over to the ladder and climbed into the living room, which would lead him to his bed room. Jake Junior was already asleep on the couch, and Marceline was nowhere to be found.

He continued to the upper level of the tree home and saw that Jake was sleep as well. He tried to move quietly throughout the bedroom. He took off his t-shirt, followed by his shorts, and finally his socks and shoes. He set them on the floor for now and went to find his pajamas.

Once he found them, he slipped in one pants leg at a time, and jumped into his bed. His mummy sleeping bag was waiting on him, and he got inside of it.

He let out a sigh of relief, "Finally. . . " Finn mumbled to himself as he closed his eyes and started to drift into slumber.

. . .

(Fire Kingdom)

The girl was slumped against the wall of her glass prison. Her normal orange skin was still pinkish-gray due to the encounter with her father. Her hair was down her back, providing her some sort of comfort with her head pressed against the glass of the lantern.

From the outside she appeared to be lifeless. She rarely moved, or even responded to things going around her. She wore a saddened expression.

Most of the time, she sat there watching her father run the kingdom and handle the citizens that came to speak to him. Other times, she was left to her own devices. They all knew she no longer had the strength to pose any sort of threat to the kingdom, or the king himself.

The royal chamber she was being held in was currently empty. Her father left to handle business and the guards were roaming around the castle.

Flame Princess closed her eyes for a moment, and when she reopened them; there stood another person. He was around her age, but he was definitely taller. The boy had long orange hair that was currently tied in a ponytail. He wore light armor, which was simply padding that covered normal commoner clothing. He also had a sword strapped to his back.

The boy bowed toward the Princess and then looked up to smile, "It's nice to see you again, Princess." He stood up straight and walked closer to her lantern, "Are you having fun up here?"

The girl sat there in silence.

"Princess, there's no need to have a sour attitude," The boy propelled himself upward with a stream of fire that was under his foot. It raised him high enough to he could touch the lantern, and look the Princess directly in the eyes. "It wasn't me who imprisoned you; I'm simply following the King's orders."

"Whatever—what do you want, Freyr?" She stared blankly at the boy.

"The King wanted me to alert you of the plans," He smiled softly at the Princess once more. He didn't want her to think of negatively, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are a criminal in the Flame Kingdom. While you are his daughter, he has to treat you like any other citizen. You're to be executed a week from today for treason and insubordination."

Flame Princess' jaw dropped as her brain started to fully process what he just told her. The girl slowly started to curl into a ball and rest her head against her knees, "Why me?" She quietly mumbled to herself. She would have reacted with anger if she had the strength to do so, but she was weaker than ever right now. "He would really do that to his own daughter?"

Freyr nodded his head, "I like you Flame Princess, so I'll tell you this at least," He turned and made sure the King was no where in sight, "He's scared of you. He's scared of what you're capable of. You're the only one who he couldn't truly make live in fear of his power," The boy sighed as he watched the Princess become even glummer than she was prior. "You used to be stronger than him, but now that's he taken your power away; he wants to show the people he's still the strongest."

"You say you like me, yet you won't help me," The Princess frowned at Freyr.

"I'm loyal to the King and the King only. He's made my life better than anyone ever could," Freyr furrowed his brow. "I've gone from trash to something honorable within this Kingdom with the help of your father, so I won't take what I have for granted."

Flame Princess groaned and buried her head in her knees. She didn't want to talk to him anymore, or anyone else for that matter, because no one was on her side.

"I'm sure you want time to think, so I'll leave you alone," The boy descended from the air and turned away from the Princess. He started to walk out of the chamber so he could tend to his other orders.

The girl raised her head up to watch him as he left. She sat back up and then slumped against the wall of the lantern. There was only one thing going through her head at that moment, and that was her loved one; Finn.

She knew he was drumming up some sort of plan to come and get her, or at least she hoped. The girl saw herself as weak for a moment, "I have to rely on someone else to save me . . . ," FP laughed to herself. "Have I really become the storybook princess waiting to be saved by her knight in shining armor?"

There was, of course, no one to respond, so the room remained silent. She sighed and folded her arms. The girl had been trapped in the lantern before, so it was nothing new to her.

However, she could possibly think of way to escape her prison this time.


End file.
